The present invention is directed toward a dual action knee strap and more particularly, toward a knee strap for supporting the patella and patellar tendons located above and below the kneecap while still allowing unencumbered use of the knee.
Injury to the knee and the surrounding area including the patella and patellar tendons is frequent because the knee is a high stress area. As such, many braces have been designed and developed to give support to the knee and the surrounding area during exercise. Usually such a support is used after an injury to partially immobilize the weakened knee for preventing the possibility of further injury. Knee supports have also been designed to alleviate the pain and discomfort due to conditions such as Chondromalacia patella syndrome, patellar tendonitis, and other knee disfunctions.
Knee supports range in design from very small straps to highly involved and cumbersome rigid braces. The prior art discloses many knee brace designs which provide adequate support to the knee but fail to allow the user to move the knee in the desired or necessary fashion during certain exercises. In contradistinction, the less involved braces such as simple straps allow flexibility but don""t supply the necessary support. Known knee straps that do provide adequate support restrict flexibility. Also, many of the prior art knee supports do not alleviate the pain or reduce the likelihood of some of the commonly occurring conditions involving the knee.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,370,978 to Palumbo discloses a knee brace with an elastic sleeve having an opening for the kneecap. The brace has two elastic straps which wrap around the kneecap. One of the. straps has a patellar ligament pad which may be made from foam rubber and is sandwiched between a sheet of thin, pliable leather or another suitable material and the inner band surface of the strap. The knee brace disclosed in this patent, however, does not provide proper support for the knee and it is large, making the brace uncomfortable to wear.
Applicant""s patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,646, discloses a knee support with a main body portion which covers the kneecap and securing straps which extend from each side of the main body portion. The straps are wrapped around the knee and are secured at the back of the knee. Attached to the main body portion above and below the kneecap are pressure application straps which may be used to adjust the support given to the kneecap and patellar tendons below the kneecap. The present invention is an improvement over this patent in that pressure is applied to the tendon above the kneecap as well as the tendon below the kneecap.
The present invention is designed to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art discussed above. It is an object of the present invention to provide a device which is comfortable to wear and allows full mobility of the knee while also providing the necessary support for the knee.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device with two arms which provide pressure to the tendons above and below the kneecap.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiments demonstrating features and advantages of the present invention, there is provided a device which includes a main body portion having a first side, a second side, a front side, and a back side; a first pair of arms extending from and attached to the first side of the main body portion; and a second pair of arms extending from and attached to the second side of the main body portion. The first pair of arms includes a top arm and bottom arm where each arm has means for applying pressure to the patellar tendons by means of a rubber buttress inserted between layers of material in the arms nearer the skin. The top arm fits above the kneecap and the bottom arm fits below the kneecap. The first pair of arms is held in place on a person""s knee by securing means which are located on both the first pair of arms and the second pair of arms. The second pair of arms also has a top arm and a bottom arm so that the top arms are secured together and the bottom arms are secured together. Once the arms are secured together on the knee, an opening is formed which exposes the kneecap and allows the knee to move freely yet still be supported.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the drawings.